Modern Theatre: The Rise of the DirectorBertolt Brecht

Brecht is one of the greatest influential theorists, but also one of the most misunderstood. To think that Brecht’s theatre was fun? Well why not? It was imaginative and intelligent, educational, meaningful and different - the word fun doesn’t just relate to escapism and naturalism, but to any type of theatre which engages the audience. Bertolt Brecht first set down his ideas on Epic Theatre in the 1920’s. Current events, his own upbringing and circumstance helped shape Brecht’s personal philosophy and his theory for the stage. In the earlier days, his purpose had been primarily political: he had intended to “turn a means of enjoyment into a lesson to be taught, and to transform certain situations from places of entertainment into organs of publicity. Epic theatre evolved as a movement against the naturalist ideas of Stanislavski, which were seen by Brecht as very passive and easy to watch, where the real message of the play was usually ignored by the actors and the audienc...